15 Thoughts I Had While Trying Not to Start Writing Another Book

HOW DO I STOP THIS PROCESS

1. Oh hey, idea for a new book, you could have, like, knocked.

2. Yeah, I get it, you’re a pretty decent shell of an idea, but I can’t … no. Stop it. NO.

3. I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THISSSS

4. I also “don’t have time” to, like, sleep, but I do it anyway. So …

5. But no, creating new characters is like having a baby and I kind of already have one of those??

6. Obviously these are not the same thing, but, like, noveling is exhausting in a different way OK?

7. But it’s so much fun. And it feels so good to “have written.” Isn’t that why we’re all doing this?

8. So theoretically if I were to start writing this book, when would I work on it? At 4am? 11pm? Lunch?

9. I shouldn’t make plans. Plans are dangerous. I. Don’t. Have. Time. For. This.

10. But I can feel this story unfolding and expanding in my brain and my head might explode.

11. It gets louder every minute. “Write me! Write me! WRITE ME BEFORE I WRITE MYSELF GOSH DARN IT”

12. That wouldn’t be so bad. What if you could just plug your brain into a thing and a story came out all by itself?

13. But then everyone could, like, write a novel and that probably wouldn’t actually be a good thing. The work is what makes a story good. Effort.

14. Speaking of effort, I’d totally be willing to make this work. I could do it. Right?

15. NO. NO. I CAN’T. EXCEPT I MAYBE JUST WROTE TWO SENTENCES. WHAT IS HAPPENING.


Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.


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9 thoughts on “15 Thoughts I Had While Trying Not to Start Writing Another Book

  1. Be grateful. Having opposite problem here. Dry as a bone. Haven’t even posted on word press in like two months. Maybe three. Keep it up.

    1. Hey, I’m sorry to hear you’re having a rough time lately. :( Anything I can do to help? Any thoughts on what might be holding you back?

  2. I appreciate your humor as I drink some morning coffee. I am going to try my hand at a short story, already have framed the theme, main characters, and other details. Soon the fun and creative part begins when I begin filling in my story with exciting and descriptive details along with some fun.

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